An Islamic cleric who made history as the world’s first openly gay imam, Muhsin Hendricks, has been killed in South Africa.

Hendricks, 57, founded and led a mosque in Cape Town that served as a sanctuary for marginalised Muslims, including those from the LGBTQ+ community.

He was tragically shot dead on Saturday morning when the vehicle he was travelling in was ambushed near Gqeberha, a city in the southern part of the country.

The fatal shooting allegedly occurred shortly after he officiated a lesbian wedding.

Security footage circulating on social media provides a chilling account of the attack. The video shows a car intentionally blocking the vehicle Hendricks was in as it pulled away from the kerb.

According to police reports, Hendricks was seated in the back seat before an assailant exited the blocking car, rushed to the targeted vehicle, and fired multiple shots through the rear passenger window.

“Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” police said in a statement.

The news of Hendricks’ passing has reverberated deeply within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond, sparking a global wave of heartfelt tributes.

The deceased made headlines in 1996 after he publicly came out as gay, a disclosure that sent shockwaves through the broader Muslim community in Cape Town and beyond.


https://dailypost.ng/2025/02/16/worlds-first-openly-gay-imam-muhsin-hendricks-killed-in-south-africa/